Townsville Astronomy Group

As part of 2009 International Year of Astronomy, The Townsville Astronomy Group will be setting  up  telescopes down on The Strand on the evenings of April 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th. This will allow the general public in the area, to be able to view and enjoy some spectacular astronomical  sights through larger telecopes. Viewing times will be from about 7pm - 9pm depending on the demand.

This major event spans a four night period, and we are hoping to introduce a large  amount of people to the  delights of the southern night sky. Alas, the lighting in the area will not allow fainter objects to be seen, like galaxies, but there are still several objects that our scopes will be focused on, with enthusiasm.

The Moon is at first quarter on 2nd April, thus allowing many visible craters, mountain peaks and 'seas' to be seen, and over the next 4 nights more objects will become visible, including the great Copernicus Crater, the Apennine mountain Range, and much more.The Moon will be at a distance of about  370016 km from Earthon the 2nd April.

The planet Saturn will also be visible, and is always a stunning sight when magnified through the telescope. It is one of our most beautiful planets, with its amazing ring system, which is  virtually edge on for this month. 

We are hoping for about 4-5 telescopes, of various types and sizes,  will be set up over these nights, with  Friday, Saturday and Sunday  hosting a greater number. This will be a big undertaking for our group, with some anxious moments being forecast  regarding... the suitability of the area, slim chances of getting a parking bay not too far away  to lug the big scopes, drunks stumbling towards our scopes, the inclement weather for April with maybe a visiting cyclone, avoiding The Strand police and maybe a few other thoughts in the back of our minds. Odds in, it will be a great success, with  the public loving the moon and Saturn, as do we. Fingers crossed for good weather, and parking bays!!

100 Hours of Astronomy

'The 100 Hours of Astronomy cornerstone project (100HA) is a round-the-clock, worldwide event with 100 continuous hours of a wide range of public outreach activities including live webcasts, observing events and more. One of the key goals of 100HA is to have as many people as possible look through a telescope as Galileo did for the first time 400 years ago. 100HA will take place from 2-5 April when the Moon goes from first quarter to gibbous, good phases for early evening observing. Saturn will be the other highlight of early evening observing events.'

http://www.celestronlife.com/IYA09/special-projects/100-hours-of-astronomy/